Blast-furnace-charging apparatus.



F. H. CROGKARD. BLAST FURNACE CHARGING APPARATUS. APPLiOAT'ION FILED FEB. e, 1909.

Patented Oct. 26', 1909.

v $HBETSSHEET 1.

WITNESSES INVENTOR F. H. GROGKARD. BLAST FURNACE CHARGING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 6,1909.

Patented Oct. 26, 1909.

7 BHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVENTO R 5144 4 MW: wuz 4%,

WITNESSES P. 3. 0300mm BLAST FURNACE CHARGING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED THE. 6, 1909.

Patented Oct. 26, 1909.

7 SHEETS-slum a.

mvemon Eva/( 46 WITNESSES than;

F. H. CROGKARD. BLAST FURNACE CHARGING APPARAT APPLICATION FILED FEB. 6, 1909.

Patented Oct. 26, 1909.

7 SHBETS-SHEBT 4.

INVENTOR P, HL'UGROCKARD.

BLAST FURNACE cmmme APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 6, 1909.

Pate

nted 0012.26

I v SHEETS-SHEET a.

IN VENT R M W, w

P. H. GROGKAED. BLAST PURNAGE GHABGIIIG APPARATUS.

APPLIUATIOH FILED P111326, 1909. v

is Patehted 001;. 26,1909:

I I WlTliElSSES llwgm'on hm 4mm F. H. GROOKARD.

BLAST FURNACE CHARGING APPARATUS. 'APPLIOATION I'ILED.FEB. 6, 1909. 938,41 1, Patented Oct. 26, 1909.

7 SHEETS-SHEET 7.

m, S W m J ff UNITED srA'rns rnrnn r OFFICE.

FRANK H.- CROCKABD, OF BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA.

' Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 26, 1909.

Application fiied February 6, 1909. Serial No. 476,490.

lowing is a full, c ear, and exact description,

reference being'had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specilication, in which- Figure 1 a sectional side elevation of the top o t'a blast furnace equipped with apparatus constructed andarranged in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2 1s a plan of the furnace top shown in Fig. 1'; Fig. 3 is a side vstruction and arrangement of the elevation of the same showing the top chargiiigliopper and gas sealinghood, together with the rotary distributing hopper which is mounted tempera ily on thewheeled truck 1 upon which they are carried and are shifted laterally upon the top platrorm of the furnace; Fig. '1- is a side elevation of the furnace top part1 in section showing the conrotary distributing hopper; Fig. is a. broken sectional elevation of the furnace top showing the construction of the turning mechanism for the rotary distributing hopper; Fig. 3 is a sectional plan taken on the line Vil J1 of Fig. showing the ratchet turn-- ing n'icchanisni forming part of the hopper turning apparatus; Figs. i' and 8 are scciional elevations on a larger scale showing the construction of the toothed rack and the tilting ratchet pawls forming part of my invention.

My invention relates to the construction and arrangement of the top gear used with modern closed. top nieclmnically charged llast furnaces and it more particularly res to the mechanism employed in distributing materials charged into suchfurnaces and in improved. means by which the distril-uding mechanism is actuutcd.

The invention further relates to improved apparatus employed in handling charging mechai-iism on the top of such furnaces when sinking changes and repairs on the top of the furnaces.

'l'he invention is designed to provide improved distributing mechanism by which after being hoisted to thctop of the furnace, ,hc coarse and line materials forming the charges of stock are oriented and are uniformily distributed about the vertical axis of the furnace preparatory to being introduced into the furnace shaft.

The invention. is also designed to provide improved means by which the rotary distributing hopper forming part of the apparatus is actuated.

The invention is still further designed to provide novel means for handling the top gear of the furnace by which the time neces sary in making changes and repairs is lessened and the cost of such repairs is greatly reduced.

In the drawings, 2 represents the blast furnace and the inclined track leading to the top of the furnace upon which the skip cars 4 travel in carrying the materials charged into the furnace top. The skip cars are'arranged to deposit their contents in the top hopper 5 mounted on the top of the gas sealing hood (3 which covers the mouth of the furnace On the interior of and carried by the gas sealing hood 6 is a rotary hopper 7 having a sloping bottom 8 and a side opeliing outlet through which the imiterials are discharged into "the lower hopper 5) located in the mouth of the furnacc shaft below the hoppers and 7 The hoppers 5 and 9 are provided with closing bolls 5 and 9 which are suspended by means of the bell rods 10 and 11 from one end of the bell beams 12 and 13. These bell beams are pivotally mounted on bearings ll carried on top of the frame work 15 and one end of each of the bell beams is connected by cables or other flexible connections 16 and 17 with the bell operating motors, not shown.

The distributing hopper 7 is provided with a circular segmental rack 18 having ratchet tooth is on its lower or bottom surface, which are arranged to engage with the tilting ratchet pawls 1%) by which the hopper 7 is rotntcd. The pawls 1!) are mounted in reciprocating cross. heads 20 which are arranged to slide on the curved track 21 .lorlniug a part of the upper portion of the gas scaling hood (l. The cross heads 21 travel in a curved path and are connected by the links or rods 22 with reciprocating cross heads The cross heads 23 are conncclcd by adjustable links or rods 24 with the lever arms which arp mounted on the rocking shafts 26 and 27, these shafts being mounted in bearings 28 which are secured to the frame work 15 forming part of the top of the furnace. i

The skip cars 4'are connected to one end of hoisting ropes or cables by which they are lifted to the furnace top, these. ropes passing over pulleys or sheave wheels 25) in the usual manner and having one of their ends connected to the hoisting motor in the usual manner. The sheave wheels 29 are mounted in bearings 30 which are supported on the frame work 15 and the shaft 31 for one of the sheave wheels provided on its ends with cranks'32 having crank pins 33 to which one end of the links 34 are connected. The opposite ends of the links are secured to the outer cndof the levers 35 and 36 which are employed to rock the shafts 26 and 27 when the wheel 29 is rotated in raising and lowering the skip cars to and from v the top of the furnace. It will be noted that the cross-heads 21 will actuate the distributing hopper 7 in one direction continuously while the wheel 29 is rotated in either direction. li I The gas sealing'hood 6 is provided with brackets 37 andon the top of the furnace platforni are. track rails 38 forming the track on which the wheeled truck 39 is mounted, the traclt rails 38 extending across the top of the platform as shown in Fig. 2. The framework of th-is truck surrounds the gas sealing hood Owhen the furnace is in operation and is, arranged to support the gas seal 6, and the mechanism supported on and above the seal, while making: changes in the furnace top. When making such changes, the gas seal 6 is disconnected from the hopper 5 and is raised vertically from the hopper 9 to such height that the beams 40 oat-2. be inserted in place between the underside of the brackets 37 and the topof the truck 39 as shown in dotted lines in Fig. l, by this operation the gas scaiinghood -t' and mechanism above the gas seal being supported upon the truck 39. The swinging jib crane 41 having an adjustable boom 4-2 is provided on the furnace top for the purpose of raisingthe bells, hoppers and other apparatus employed on the top of the furn'ace from the .ground in erecting and repairing the furnace.

In the operation of my improved chargiling apparatus," the materials forming the burden charged into the furnace are lifted to the furnace top in the skip cars 4 on the track 3 in the usual manner. The materials are discharged from the skip cars 4 into the hopper 5 which is normally held closed by the upper or gas sealing bell 5". The bell 5 is then lowered by means of tlu bell rope 11 and its operating mechanism, and materials in the hopper 5 are discharged into the rotary distributer 7. The materials entering the rotary distributer 7 are discharged down its inclined bottom 8 and through the side outlet opening into the lower hopper 9,-the

charge being deposited on one side of the center of the hopper 9. Another skip car is then raised to the top of the furnace and the above described operation is repeated. When I the skip car t is being raised to'the top of the furnace, the cable or rope passing over lever arms 36 and or the shaft 26 and through the connecting rod 24:, the cross head 23 and connecting rod 22, actuate the cross head 21 having the tilting pawl 19 mounted thereon. \Vhen the pawl '19 is moved in one direction, it engages with. the

teeth 18 on the rack 18 and turns the rotary distributing hopper 7 throughout a part of a revolution, bringing the side outlet openmg on this hopper 7 into a discharging posi- When the tion which isat an angle to its last discharging position. cessive charges of materials are deposited in the hopper t) at an angle axially to the last deposited charge and in this way the successive charges of materials are oriented and the coarse and fine'matcri'als forming each charge are uniformly distributed about the vertical of the furnace. The above de-v scribed opcrations are repeatedas often as is necessary to keep the furnace charged with its burden and the materials are automatically distributed by means of the hoist ing mechanism.

has heretofore been the practice to dismantle 10 the sealing hood, the top hopper and other apparatus forming the top rigging of the furnace. This operation results in long de lays in the working of thefurnace. By

means of my improved mechanism, I first 11'5 disconnect the gas sealing hood (3 and then lift this hood together with the mechanism supported and above it, until the brackets 37 rest on the beams 40, which-are placed between the brackets and the tdp of the truck l 3?). The bell 9 is then disconnected from'y its bell rod, being temporarily secured by other means to prevent its being dropped into the furnace. The truck 39 with the ap- In this way the sucv This is of practical advantage as by its use the distribution does not depend upon the operator performing 10 5'.

paratus, temporarily mounted upon it is 25 then shifted laterally on its track rails until it is in the position shown in Fig. 2.- By tlllSOptltttlOIl the top rigging is shifted sidewisc so as to be clear of the mouth of the furnace shaftwhich pcrn'iits of changes or repairs being readily made to the furnace mouth.

liells and hoppers or other mechanism are raised to the top of the furnace by means of the adjustable jib crane all and suitable tackle, the adjustable jib 42 ofthis crane being swung vertically to move the hell into position above the furnace platform, where it. is deposited by the tackle. hoppers are taken from this point and are putinto position in the furnace. When the truck with its load is again brought to the center of the furnace, the beams 40 are removed and the gas seal 6 with the mechanism supported by it, is again lowered into position and is securely bolted in place. The bell-ropes are then connected to the bells when the furnace is again ready to be, put in operation.

The advantages of my invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art. By means of my improved distributing mechanism. the materials are uniformly and equally distributed in the hopper from which they are deposited in distributed condition into the top of the furnace. "lhe distributing hopper is automatically rotated step by step by the successive lifting operations of the skip cars. The rotating mechanism for the hopper is simple and is easily keptin repair. The wheeled truck used in supportingand transferring the top mechanism into and out ot position from the top of the furnace, facilitates the making of changes and repairs iii the furnace and lessens the time lost in the operation of the furnace.

Various changes may be made in the construction and arrangements of the parts without departing from my invention. 1

'hat I claim is 1. Blast furnace charging apparatus, comprising stock-hoisting mechanism having a.

rotating hoisting rope sheave wheel, a crank upon the sheave \vhcel shaft, a rotary stockdistributing hopper, means for rotating the hopper. and mechanism connected to said crank for actuating the hopper-rotating means and arranged to rotate the hopper in one direction when the sheave wheel is rotated in either direction, substantially as described.

2. Blast furnace charging apparatus coinprising a rotary distributing hopper, means for rotating the hopper and mechanism for actuating the hopper rotating means, said means including an annular toothed rack and diamctricallv opposite ratchet pawls contacting with the toothed rack in turning said hopper; substautiallv as described.

The bells and 'ing bell, a

I path having a ratchet 3. Blast furnace charging apparatus comprising a rotary hopper, means for rotating the hopper and mechanism for actuating the hopper rotating means, said means including a cross head, having tilting ratchet pawls, and arranged to travel in a curved path; substantially as described.

4. "In apparatus for charging blast furnaces, a gas sealing hood, a wheeled truck surrounding said hood and arranged to move transversely on the furnace with the hood, means for detachably securing the hood to the furnace top, and means removably mounted on the truck engaging with and supporting the hood While being moved transversely on the furnace top; substantially as described.

5. Apparatus for charging blast furnaces comprising top and bottom hoppers a gas sealing hood and a rotary hopper interme diate of said top and bottom hoppers and supported on said hood, the rotary hopper having an inclined bottom leading to a side outlet opening discharging into the bottom hopper; substantiall Y as described.

(5. Apparatus for charging blast furnaces comprising a bottom hopper having a closgas sealing hood having a gas sealing bell, a rotary distributing hopper supported on said hood between said bellsand means for rotating the distributin 110pper and orienting successive charges of stock in the bottom hopper; substantially as described.

7. Apparatus for charging blast furnaces comprising a rotary distributing hopper, ratchet mechanism for rotating said hoppen. a rocking arm operatively connected to said ratchet mechanism and means actuated by the skip car cables for rocking said arm and rotagiplg said hopper; substantially as descri e :-8. -In apparatus for charging blast furna'ces having a' rotary distributing hopper, means for rotating the hopper includinga ratchet reciprocating-in a path concentric with the vertical axis of the hopper and mechanism for actuating the hopper rotating means connected to and operated by the skip car cables for actuating the hopper turning mechanism; substantially as described.

9. In apparatus for chargingblast furnaces, a. gas sealing hood having a rotary hopper mounted therein, a toothed rack on said hopper, cross head slides on the hood, a ross head movable therein in a curved pawl engaging with the rack to rotate the hopper, a swinging arm operatively connected to the skip car cables and an adjustable rod connecting said arm and cross head; substantially as described. j I

10. In apparatus for charging blast furnaces, angas sealing hood having a rotary hopper mounted therein, a toothed rack on said hopper, cross head slides on the hood,

and a eonneeting'rod universally movable,

connecting said swinging arm and cross head 10 substantially as" described. In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set I my hand.

FRANK H. CROOKARD.

I Witnesses:

WM. B. DICKS, I .N. E. Cxoss. 

